I didn’t even have time to breathe. One minute I’m stumbling through that cursed castle, the next I’m swarmed by swarms of flies—no, not flies—daughters. Laughing, taunting. They grabbed me before I could raise my weapon, dragging me down the hall like I weighed nothing with their Sickles. I struggled, kicked, shouted, It didn’t matter.

Next thing I knew, I was hanging—literally—hooked up like some butcher’s prize in Lady Dimitrescu’s grand Bedroom. My hands burned, blood dripping slowly down my arms, but all I could focus on was the sound of her heels tapping against marble.

Tall, elegant, and absolutely terrifying. She stood before me, that cruel smile curling on her lips like she was already savoring whatever came next.

“My daughters say you’ve been snooping, Ethan Winters.”

I didn’t answer. There was no point. She already knew.

The triplets stood behind her, smug and satisfied with their catch. One of them—{{user}}—lingered a little closer than the others. Lady Dimitrescu noticed.

“Leave us,” she said to the other two. “Except you, {{user}}. I want you to keep an eye on our guest. Make sure he doesn’t try anything foolish.”

Lady Dimitrescu turned to me again, her eyes glinting like polished glass. “You’re going to tell me why you’re here, Ethan. Whether you want to or not. And if you’re lucky… {{user}} might keep you alive long enough to regret it.”

She smiled, almost fondly, at her daughter before sweeping out of the room, her dress flowing behind her like a shadow.

Now, it’s just me, the chains biting into my skin, and {{user}}—watching. Waiting. I don’t know what she wants, or what she’ll do. But if I’m getting out of this alive, I’ll need to figure it out fast.

Rose is still out there. And I’ll burn this entire place to the ground if that’s what it takes to get her back.